Digital & Creative
Business Briefing
March-April 2019

Content
• Funding competitions
• Support programmes
• Upcoming events
• Investment
• Networks
• Get in touch

Funding – Last Call
Innovate UK Audience of The Future: Investor Accelerator
Applications deadline for investors: 27th March noon 2019
Innovate UK is looking for UK investors to apply to combine grant funding with investment in UK
immersive tech companies.
The Audience of the Future Investor Accelerator aims to encourage and support investment in
innovative immersive technology in the UK’s creative industries, including content, products, services,
software and hardware. It will work by providing simultaneous grant funding and venture capital
investment in early-stage projects led by UK companies.
READ MORE AND APPLY

Funding
Digital health technology catalyst round 4: collaborative R&D
Applications deadline for investors: 10th April noon 2019
UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £5 million to develop new digital health solutions.
Projects can use the services of the NICE DataLab to help with real world data. Aligned with both the
Industrial Strategy and the Accelerated Access Review, the aims of this competition are to:
• address major healthcare challenges
• grow the UK digital healthcare industry through the innovative use of digital technologies
• develop solutions for either clinical or non-clinical use
Total eligible costs can be between £300,000 and £1 million
READ MORE AND APPLY

Funding
Innovate UK Business Basics 2: Boosting SME Productivity
Applications deadline: 17th April noon 2019
A share of up to £2 million is available for to run proof of concept or build evidence on how to
encourage SMEs to adopt productivity boosting technology or management practices.
Proof of Concept – you can apply for up to £60,000
Business Led Trials – you can apply for up to £400,000
Non-business Led Trials – you can apply for up to £400,000
READ MORE AND APPLY

Funding
Innovate UK Smart Grants
Applications deadline: 24th April noon 2019
Opportunity to apply for a share of up to £20 million to deliver ambitious or disruptive R&D
innovations with significant potential for impact on the UK economy.
All proposals must be business focused, rather than pure research. Applications can come from any
area of technology (including arts, design, media or creative industries), science or engineering and
be applied to any part of the economy. Whilst projects that overlap with the grand challenge areas
are welcome, working in these areas is not a requirement to be eligible.
Duration between 6 and 18 months: total eligible project costs between £25,000 and £500,000
(single company or collaboration). Duration between 19 and 36 months: total eligible project costs
between £25,000 and £2 million (collaboration only).
READ MORE AND APPLY

Funding
Innovate UK Demonstrators addressing Cyber Security challenges in the Internet of Things
Applications deadline: 1st May noon 2019
UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £6 million for collaborative R&D projects addressing major cyber security
challenges in the Internet of Things. The aim of this competition is to solve industry-focused major cyber security-related
challenges in the Internet of Things (IoT).
Your proposal must address at least one of the following themes:
• Operational resilience technologies for the protection and recovery of data in IoT.
• Intelligent control systems for industry, and commercial and public sector buildings to ensure critical systems function as
they were designed.
• Intelligently protecting the occupants and the systems of the digital home.
Your project’s total eligible costs must be between £2.5 million and £4 million and you can request up to £2 million grant.
READ MORE AND APPLY

Funding
Innovate UK - UK and Canada: enhancing industrial productivity
Registration deadline: 2nd May noon 2019
Application deadline: 9th May noon 2019
UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £5 million to develop innovative technologies targeting
global markets with Canadian partners. This competition provides innovation research and
development (R&D) grant funding for projects aimed at enhancing industrial productivity. Proposals
from advanced manufacturing businesses, food and drink processers, and automation and artificial
intelligence (AI) innovators, including those applying ‘AI for design’ techniques are welcomed.
You must focus on one of these 2 themes:
- Enabling technologies
- Enhanced productivity
Maximum grant of up to £200,000 for UK applicants
READ MORE AND APPLY

Funding
Innovate UK - UK and South Korea: joint research and development
Registration deadline: 5th June noon 2019
Application deadline : 12th June noon 2019
The UK and South Korea announce a joint funding competition for R&D projects under the EUREKA
programme. UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £1 million.
Proposals must focus on one or both of the following technology areas:
- Advanced materials for transport (air, land and maritime), with a focus on materials development
- Internet of Things (IoT), with a clearly-identified industrial or sector application
For Internet of Things, projects using emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence or
blockchain are particularly welcome
Total eligible costs between £100,000 and £1 million
READ MORE AND APPLY

Funding
European Space Agency (ESA) Blockchain Kick-Start
Applications deadline : 8th April 2019
Kick-start Activities elaborate the business opportunity and the technical viability of new applications
and services exploiting one or more space assets (e.g. Satellite Communications, Satellite Navigation,
Earth Observation, Human Space Flight Technology). This call for Kick-start Activities is dedicated to
the theme "Blockchain", which means that the call is open to companies which intend to develop
applications making use of Blockchain /DLT in different industry sectors.
Kick-start Activities resulting from thematic calls are funded at 75% by the Agency for a maximum
amount of €60K per contract. (Equity free)
READ MORE AND APPLY

Funding
Ufi Charitable Trust VocTech Specialist Fund
Applications deadline: 5th April 2019 5pm
£50,000 - £300,000 funding available
The VocTech Specialist Fund is a challenge-led call looking to fund projects that can tackle the
vocational skills issues that arise from the way that work is changing. Ufi Charitable Trust is looking for
projects that are firmly based on identified skills needs, that can help tackle the persistence of low
skill: low wage employment - and support those ​disproportionally impacted by the way work is
changing. All projects must be employment-led, learner driven
READ MORE AND APPLY

Support programmes – Last Call
CRL Accelerator
Application Deadline: 16th March
£5,000 Investment
3% equity. A portion of the support is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and this is
not connected with the 3% option.
The CRL’s 6-month Accelerator programme is for technology startups developing physical products and
designed to help startups:
- Interpret what your customers really want and what value your product brings
- Understand how to get your product manufactured at the right cost and set-up supply chains for
scale
- Understand how to gain the hardware-specific funding you need, from grants to crowdfunding and
angel investors
READ MORE AND APPLY

Support programmes – Last Call
DLT Labs Bootcamp
Application Deadline: 18th March
Bootcamp dates : 29th-31st March
Do you have an idea how blockchain can shape your industry? Join the DLT Bootcamp to launch your idea
in a weekend. The number of participants at DLT_Labs Bootcamp is kept to under 20 to ensure everyone
has plenty of opportunities to ask questions and get meaningful advice. This is a completely free event,
supported by the UK Government.
READ MORE AND APPLY

Support programmes
TechStars London Accelerator Programme
Application deadline: 7th April 2019
Techstars provides Accelerator portfolio companies with access to financial, human and intellectual
capital to fuel the success of their business. Upon acceptance to a Techstars Accelerator, every company
is offered a $100,000 convertible note. Techstars contributes $20,000, which is commonly used as a
stipend to support living expenses during the program, and in return receives 6% common stock from
each company.
READ MORE

Support programmes
International Music Summit IMS Accelerator
Application Deadline: 15th April 2019
IMS dates: 22nd-24th May 2019 Ibiza
IMS Accelerator is a brand new platform aiming to spotlight and support the next wave of innovative
music business start-ups. Three successful start-up applicants will win ‘IMS Delegate Badges’ to IMS 2019
taking place on Wednesday 22nd – Friday 24th May at the Hard Rock Hotel in Ibiza.
READ MORE AND APPLY

Support programmes
LORCA: Cyber Scaling Programme
Application Deadline: 15th April 2019
LORCA is a joint collaboration between Plexal, CSIT and Deloitte. It’s funded by the Department for Digital,
Culture, Media & Sport as part of the National Cyber Security Strategy.
LORCA’s mission is to support the most promising cybersecurity innovators in scaling and growing solutions
to meet industry’s biggest challenges, while building the UK’s international cybersecurity profile.
READ MORE

Support programmes
Govstart UK Accelerator Programme
Application Deadline: 18th April 2019
Programme dates: July 1st - December 20th 2019
GovStart is a sixth-month growth programme, run by PUBLIC, to help tech startups transform the public
sector. The programme take startups at different stages and in various sectors, working with products that
have powerful public sector applications, and provide them with the tailored support, strategy and
networks
READ MORE

Upcoming events
IoT, Cyber, Cloud, AI, Blockchain Tech Expo
25th- 26th April, London
Digital Business Meet-Up
2nd May, London
Keep up-to-date with KTN events here
Immersive and Digital Business Meet-Up
20th March, Bath
Women in Innovation: Building Success
20th March, Belfast
Competition Briefing Event 5G
27th March, London
Digital Business Meet-up STFC
5th April, Science Tech Park, Daresbury
Innovate UK in the South East
10th April, Brighton

Investment
Private Investment Directory – Digital Refer
Digital Refer now includes more than 250 organisations that provide private investment to
digital and creative businesses in the UK including:
• Accelerator programmes
• Business incubators
• Start-up studios
• Venture Capital funds
• Angel investor networks
• Corporate Venture Capital firm
LINK

Networks: Immerse UK
• Augmented and Virtual Reality Independent Network
• Bringing together businesses, public sector & research
• Free to Join
• Learn more about Immersive Tech developments
• Help shape UK funding & research policy
• Showcase your ideas & identify funding opportunities
• Make business connections & form collaborative partnerships
http://www.immerseuk.org/

Networks: UK5G
https://uk5g.org/
• Promotion of research, collaboration and the commercial application of 5G in the UK
• Share the knowledge and lessons of 5G Testbeds & Trials projects
• Enable new partnerships between technologists, potential new entrants and major industrial
adopters
• Support local (and international) investment opportunities

Get in touch
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Running a support programme and not listed here?
Get in touch: astrid.ayel@ktn-uk.org